Petition to legalize unlocking warrants White House response, reaches 100K signatures

With over 100,000 signatures (and counting), an open petition asking the White House to legalize unlocking cell phones should elicit a response from the Obama administration. Currently, 100,000 signatures within the first month of a petition's life is the minimum...

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I am one of the 100k who signed this.

The law states that wireless companies are no longer required to unlock phones, even AFTER a contract has been successfully completed!

Bad bad bad.

I hate to say this but I dont see this Law changing anytime soon. Even with 100k signatures. The Lobbyests have more money and pull then 100k ppl signing a piece of paper. Its the cellphone carriers game. If you want to use their services and infrastructure you have to play by their rules. Unfortunatly they have lobbyed for this and in the end they have the power. Now I know ppl are going to post how unfair it is and how its their device and they should be able to do with it as they wish. I agree, you SHOULD!! But with all the fraud that the cellphone carriers have to deal with, I can see WHY they implimented this Law. Its all about the money. There is a lot of fraud and when someone commits fraud to get a device, they normally have to unlock it to use it on another carrier. Well carrier A looses out on all the money from both the phone and service and the early disconnect fees. So where its mainly a raging inconvenece for the consumer, this is just another way the carriers can protect themselves. Im 100% sure this Law wont go away until the carriers have a way to make sure that they can recoup any money lost.

Gee! If petitions really worked. Unfortunately, Obama is one of them. Yes, like congress, believing that entrenched companies should be able to limit consumer choice, and shelter huge stockpiles of profit off shore. Good luck! Michael

It should be allowed after the contract is over. It's then fully paid for and your property.

http://www.loc.gov/rr/askalib/ask-contactus.html

Go here and let Mr Billington know what you think of his decision.

My understanding they are not required to unlock it after the contract but we can still legally do it or pay some one to do it.

Signed, to be fair you can just sell your old phone on ebay but this law makes it unreasonably hard for your average person who does not use ebay to get any value from their phone after their contract expires and they change carriers. greedy maggots

If apple will allow its customers to jailbreak and unlock their iDevices, I think it will increase its marketing.